Hey, My Cruising Family friends, and fam!!! It's been an interesting year, to say the least!!! How have you been???

Having felt overwhelmed in one way or another, for months, I exhale right now to share with you and hopefully hear from you too.

Allan and I have noticed that challenges started almost immediately after we returned from our amazing 10th anniversary celebration in 2019. God knew we would need that “mountaintop experience,” and we’re thankful for it, and we are thankful for God’s faithfulness through every step of the way.

Starting around November 2019, our family, with the support of some of the best educational professionals, became engaged in a process to identify and secure the best school environment for our super smart, lovable, and loving younger son, LJ, and we also worked to provide the best support for our older son, AJ, through this time. This process was intense and stretched into March 2020, which is when New York City, where we reside, went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and working from home and schooling from home all began.

We cancelled a cruise we had planned for March 2020, and it's a good thing too because, in March, Allan went into quarantine after working with a former coworker who tested positive for COVID-19, and that coworker passed away in early April 2020. Thankfully, for the most part of his quarantine, Allan was asymptomatic. For the safety of his family, and by circumstances only God could align, Allan’s quarantine went until the first week of June 2020.

Also during this timeframe, while the globe fights the COVID-19 pandemic, blatant instances of injustice brought attention to the virus of racism that has plagued the USA throughout its history to date. As a black attorney, wife to a black man, and mother to black sons, the weariness, sadness, and righteous indignation I feel due to the denial and inaction in combatting racism in America is beyond words.

In June 2020, I had open-heart surgery. So, if you're following the timeline of this story, you see that Allan came out of quarantine right on time to be able to take me to my pre-op appointments and to be a wonderful support on surgery day, during those five days in the hospital, and throughout recovery at home. We had scheduled the surgery months beforehand, after years of cardiology appointments to monitor a leaky heart valve. The particular condition that was treated - mitral valve regurgitation - is best addressed before patients become symptomatic, so it was sort of a preventive measure, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to schedule surgery rather than having to be rushed into surgery or anything worse. I am also grateful for the skilled medical professionals God blessed me with. The love and support shown by family and friends has been tremendous. I have a lot to be grateful for!

With all that being said, in the midst of the physical and emotional strain from these events, there have also been mentally challenging days. Real talk. There have been days in which I feel like I'm missing a lot. I miss traveling. I miss planning our adventures. With all these things, I think I miss a certain level of peace, quiet, and being carefree that seems so far removed now. In all honesty, travel is therapeutic for me, so I've been feeling like I'm struggling now that travels have paused. Note: I said "feeling like" because, truly, I know that what I'm feeling is not real struggling. Feelings can be deceptive. I know to shake those negative feelings off.

I recently saw this quote from Robert Brault, "Enjoy the little things in life because, one day, you'll look back and realize they were the big things." This quote resonates with me, especially now, and I am reminded that, to whom much is given, much is required. I am thankful, and I've been reminded to count my blessings. We are blessed to have a beautiful home in which we can comfortably be still. We are blessed to have a backyard to which we can go for family fun in the fresh air. I have been blessed with a successful heart surgery and recovery. My recovery has included morning walks through our neighborhood with my hubby, a practice we can continue moving forward. We are blessed to have each other and our family, which is a major support system. We are blessed to receive God's provisions which have freely flowed to us at all times, including times that have been considered difficult and uncertain, as well as times of plenty. We really are blessed! If you're reading this, you're blessed too!

It's amazing how reflecting on just some of my blessings has brightened my mood since starting to write this post a few moments ago. Have you taken a moment to reflect on your blessings? Try it! What are you thankful for?